Public memorial for former Raiders coach
A public memorial service for John Madden, the former Raiders coach, longtime NFL broadcaster, video game icon and Bay Area native, will be held in Oakland next month, the NFL announced Friday morning.
The memorial will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 15, but the league said more details about the event will be announced at a later date.
Madden, who grew up in Daly City and was a longtime Pleasanton resident, died on Dec. 28. He was 85.
In announcing preliminary plans for the wildly popular Madden’s memorial, the league in a statement said, “The Madden family has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support during the difficult time following John Madden’s passing.”
The Raiders announced this week that members of the Hall of Famer’s family will light the Al Davis Memorial Torch before the start of the team’s season finale against the Chargers on Sunday Night Football.
The team said Madden’s widow, Virginia, his sister Judy, sons Mike and his wife Susie, Joe and his wife Wendy, as well as grandsons Jesse and Jack, are expected to take part.
Madden was the first person to light the Al Davis Memorial Torch in honor of Davis’ legacy, on Oct. 18, 2011, at the Oakland Coliseum.
The product of Daly City’s Jefferson High might have become most popular and famous because of his entertaining broadcasting style and the NFL video game franchise that bears his name, but his ties to the city of Oakland ran strong and deep.
Starting at the age of 32, he led Davis’ renegade Raiders for 10 seasons — all winning seasons. Under Madden, the Raiders reached seven AFC title games and won the Super Bowl after the 1976 season.
“People always ask, are you a coach or a broadcaster or a video game guy?” he said when he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “I’m a coach, always been a coach.”